Lab News and Updates

9News features Cytospora Peach Canker

Dr. Jane and Stephan spoke with 9News last 23 July 2018 about Cytospora canker affecting the palisade peaches. The interview featured Stephan’s research on phenotypic variations of different peach varieties when exposed to abiotic and biotic stresses. This is important to identify peach varieties that can survive despite infection of pathogen Cytospora leucostoma, while being subject to pH variations and drought. Further, this study will also determine pathogenicity of C. leucostoma amidst environmental stress. Indeed, better awareness of the public about tree diseases will help in tree crop management. To watch the full video, please click this link.

Brad scoops the Storkan-Hanes-McCaslin Research Foundation Award

Kudos to Brad for bagging the Storkan-Hanes-McCaslin Research Foundation Award! This award is worth 5,000 USD to pursue research on soil-borne diseases of plants. It will definitely be a big boost for Brad’s research on Armillaria solidipes causing root rot in hardwoods and conifers in temperate regions.

Stewart Lab wins CSU, APS awards

Team members in the Stewart Lab won CSU and APS awards for Spring 2018. Stephan and Jessa received the Ag Day Scholarship from the College of Agricultural Sciences. Jessa also got the William Brown Professional Development Award from the Department of Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management in support for her travel to Puerto Rico to present her poster at the 11th International Mycological Congress. Meanwhile, Brad bagged the 2018 Forest Pathology Student Travel Award for his trip to Boston, Massachusets to give a talk at the 2018 International Congress of Plant Pathology (ICPP). He also received the Agricultural Microbiome Research Coordination Network Travel Grant to attend the International Agricultural Microbiome Research Coordination Network Workshop on 28 July 2018 in Boston, in conjuction with the 2018 ICPP. Cheers!

(Photo on the left: The awardees Stephan, Brad and Jessa together with Sari, our former post-doc fellow)

Stewart Lab teaches Kids at Werner

Dr. Jane and her students taught gradeschoolers at Werner Elementary School about tree diseases and disease management last 20 April 2018. For more photos and videos, please click here.

Stewart Lab to attend International Conferences on Mycology and Plant Pathology

Several members of the team have been accepted to present their research at the 11th International Mycological Congress (IMC11) on 16-21 July 2018 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and the International Conference of Plant Pathology (ICPP) in Boston, Massachussets which will be held on 29 July to 03 August 2018.

Rachael, Jorge and Jessa will present posters entitled “Endophyte communities in limber pine in relation to resistance and susceptibility to white pine blister rust”,”Genome assembly and annotation of Rafaella lauricola: a comparison with other members of the Ophiostomales”, and “Diversity of Potential Emerging Pathogens of Conifers in Colorado, USA”, respectively, at IMC11. Meanwhile, Brad, Jorge, Rachael and Stephan will be attending the ICPP.

Brad and Jorge will give a talk on “Changes in soil microbial communities associated with Armillaria root disease of western white pine (Pinus monticola)” and “Development of a rapid and sensitive ddPCR method for detection of Cytospora leucostoma in peach orchards”, respectively. Rachael and Stephan will present their posters about sustained water stress increasing black walnut susceptibility to the pathogen Geosmithia morbida, and the epidemiology of Cytospora leucostoma which is a major limiting factor for Colorado peach production, respectively.

IMC11 is sponsored by the Mycological Society of America, the Latin American Mycological Association, the Puerto Rican Mycological Society, University del Turabo and Meet Puerto Rico. This Congress, which is held every four years, carries the theme “Mycological Discoveries for a Better World” for this year. ICPP is sponsored by the International Society for Plant Pathology and organized by the American Phytopathological Society. ICPP 2018 presentations will cover a diverse range of research on genomics to epidemiology, which affect plant health at a local and global scale.

Stephan was awarded the Howard Schwartz Award for Excellence in Integrated Pest Management during the 2017 Winter Socials and Awards Ceremony. The Awards Committee was impressed by Stephan’s commitment to communicate his research with the agricultural community of Colorado and the broader scientific community. The Howard Schwartz Award is given to students who possess an exceptional dedication to research and extension. The Socials and Awards Ceremony is usually held at the end of the semester and organized by the Department of Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management. (Photo credit: BSPM)